A cast-iron steak is decided before the meat touches the pan. Dry surface, hot iron, and the willingness to hear something you were probably taught to be afraid of — a violent, sustained sizzle. If the pan goes quiet when the steak lands, the iron was not hot enough and you are steaming an expensive piece of beef.

Once it is down, leave it. Every early flip resets the crust and you end up with grey bands and no browning. Four minutes on the first side, four on the second, a knob of butter and a spoon for the last thirty seconds, and then a rest on a rack that is longer than feels reasonable.

The onion jam is what turns dinner into a plate worth photographing. Onions sliced thin along the grain hold their shape through a long slow cook instead of dissolving, and Date Bacon Vinegar gives the finished jam a savoury depth that plain caramelised onion never reaches.